Pentecost relives the moment when the Holy Spirit came powerfully upon the infant Church and enabled the Apostles to preach the Gospel, starting in Jerusalem and going to the ends of the earth. This is the mandate we have all received, and the grace of that Day is renewed throughout the Church on this feast. The Sacrament of Confirmation is given at Pentecost to those who seek to complete their initiation into the life of the Church, it is a grace that confers the power of the Holy Spirit to help us become full and adult members of the Body of Christ.

In the prayer that invokes the Holy Spirit on those being Confirmed, we ask God to bestow the gifts of the Spirit: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgement and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence. Fill them with the spirit of awe in your presence. These are given for the benefit of the whole Church, so that together we can build the Family of the Church and be witnesses of the Resurrection, which is the first task of being an Apostle. Please pray for the thirty-two being Confirmed during the 11.30am Mass this Sunday that, like the first group of Apostles gathered in the Upper Room with Mary, they, with us, may be ardent in faith hope and love.

At the end of last year our Parish Master of Ceremonies – Mr Gerry Dillon – retired after a long and faithful service to the Parish in that role. This weekend will be his last serving at Sunday Mass, although he will continue as a weekday Mass server. Once again I thank him for all the commitment and dedication he has given me and my predecessors down the years.